Organisations can apply for any stage of funding at any time, depending on where in the development cycle their technology sits.

Early-stage projects must be led by an SME either working alone or collaboratively or by a research organisation collaborating with a business. Mid-stage and late-stage projects must be business-led and collaborative. Total project costs can be up to £300k for early-stage awards, between £500k and £3m for mid-stage awards, and between £1m and £10m for late-stage awards.

The competition opens on 19 May 2014. The deadline for registration for mid-stage awards is noon 27 August 2014 and the deadline for expressions of interest is noon 3 September 2014. The second-stage deadline for invited applications is at noon on 5 November 2014.

A briefing event for potential applicants will be held on 20 May 2014 to highlight the main features of the competition and explain the application process. Applicants are strongly recommended to attend.

Brokering events

Energy underpins almost every aspect of our daily lives and yet it is invariably taken for granted. However, global legislation, domestic energy policies, regional supplier disputes and rising consumer costs mean we cannot do so any more. Consistent policy, regulation, co-ordination and funding are needed to ensure innovative technologies can be developed and demonstrated effectively to help solve all elements of the energy trilemma:

reducing emissions

Improving security of supply

reducing cost.

Within the UK alone, real opportunities to develop innovative new products and services are presented by domestic policy and legal requirements, such as:

the legally-binding obligation that, in the UK, 15% of total energy must come from renewable sources by 2020 and the statutory requirement that UK greenhouse gas emissions must be reduced by 34% by 2020 and 80% by 2050 (based on 1990 levels)

the security of an estimated 85GW indigenous supply requirement in the UK by 2020

the need to provide affordable energy for all.

The energy sector is already a significant contributor to the UK economy. In 2012, UK energy industries contributed 3.5% of GDP (£55bn) and directly employed approximately 176,000 people. In addition, the global market opportunity is valued in trillions of pounds. The size of the market and the possibilities for innovation to address the trilemma are creating major opportunities for which the UK can develop and grow innovative, sustainable businesses and supply chains to deliver world-leading solutions.

The size of the challenge means that no one organisation can deliver an energy programme in isolation. A co-ordinated approach is needed that will allow publicly-funded innovation to be developed from a concept stage all the way through to pre-commercial demonstration. It is for these reasons that the Energy Catalyst has been established.

Scope

The Energy Catalyst will support businesses and researchers from any sector who can deliver innovative solutions that contribute to all elements of the energy trilemma: reducing emissions, improving security of supply and reducing cost, when considered from a full ‘energy system' perspective, acknowledging that some solutions may be biased more to one or two of these elements.

The Energy Catalyst will fund projects from early concept stage through to pre-commercial technology validation, based upon innovation that incorporates, for example:

new technologies

enhancement or alternative applications of existing technologies

development of components, sub-systems or systems

integrated whole-system approaches

enabling technologies for the energy system.

We are keen to attract proposals which bring new and innovative solutions and applications into the energy sector and its supply chain. In addition, we want to encourage the adoption of cross-cutting, enabling technologies which are applicable across a range of sectors, for example, high value manufacturing, advanced materials, sensors and information and communication technologies (ICT).

Indicative examples of technology areas that are within the scope of the Catalyst include, but are not limited to, those listed below:

carbon abatement: minimising environmental impact of fossil fuels and their associated applications to improve efficiency and reduce emissions. Includes carbon capture, transport, utilisation and storage for large-scale power and industrial CO2 emitters

energy networks and system integration: electricity and heat networks. Technologies for energy transmission, distribution and storage and the integration of systems to deploy low carbon energy. Includes smart grids, power electronics, storage technologies and waste heat

demand-side technologies: technology development to reduce and/or manage energy demand at scale. Includes energy efficiency measures for the end user including industrial energy efficiency

enabling technologies and processes: includes ICT, high value manufacturing, advanced materials and sensors

open theme: technologies where applicants are confident they meet the scope but which are not specifically covered by the above categories.

bio-energy (where already addressed by the Bioscience programme or the Industrial Biotechnology Catalyst).

the scale of funding requirements and timescales to commercialisation are unlikely to be addressed by a Catalyst (nuclear fusion, for example) except where early spin-out technologies for commercialisation in the energy sector are being targeted

there is no explicit technology component (the idea is for a new business process or market model, for example).

Further detail concerning technology challenge areas that are outside the scope of the Energy Catalyst can be found in the guidance for applicants.

Funding allocation and project details

Mid-stage awards – Technology development

Mid-stage awards will fund projects that take innovative ideas forward through the technology development stage by conducting industrial research and development including, for example, laboratory studies, component or system development and testing, verification and evaluation in simulated environments.

Key features

Two stage application process: expression of interest followed by full applications from invited applicants

Must have a proven concept

Must be business-led and collaborative

Research organisations can take part but not lead a proposal

Duration: up to 36 months

Total project costs: £500k - £3m

Total research partner costs: must not exceed 30% of total project costs

Business partner funding: up to 60% of total project costs for SMEs or 50% for large companies

Research organisation funding: up to 100% of their total project costs (up to 80% of FEC for academic institutions)

The maximum grant that any one participant can receive is £2.4m; if a larger grant is sought, please contact us prior to submission.

Application process

The competition opens for all stages on 19 May 2014.

Mid-stage – Technology development

These awards follow a two-stage application process.

Stage 1 - Applicants submit an expression of interest which is assessed.

Stage 2 – We invite selected applicants to submit an application.

The deadline for registration is noon 27 August 2014 and the deadline for expressions of interest is noon 3 September 2014.

The second stage deadline for invited applications is at noon on 5 November 2014.

Note: All deadlines are at noon.

A briefing event for potential applicants will be held on 20 May 2014 in London and by webinar to highlight the main features of the competition and explain the application process. Applicants are strongly recommended to attend.

As part of the application process all applicants are asked to submit a public description of the project. This should adequately describe the project but not disclose any information that may impact on intellectual property, is confidential or commercially sensitive.

The titles of successful projects, names of organisations, amounts awarded and the public description will be published once the decision to offer an award has been communicated to applicants by email. Information about unsuccessful project applications will remain confidential and will not be made public.

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